Chapter 4

Without Granting Innocence

"Try to slip past his defense, without granting innocence."

It was about 15 minutes, ½ mile later that Peyton pulled up to Luke as he was limping down the side of the road. His breath was ridged and face red with pain. His leg started to bleed about 10 minutes ago, and hasn't stopped since. Lucas was planning to stop and stitch up his leg with the sewing kit in his backpack, but he's been preoccupied with his thoughts.

Peyton parked the car ahead of him, got out, and stalked back toward Lucas. Even from about 20 yards, he could see the fire in her eyes, and the tear stains on her face. Lucas stopped and waited for her to come closer. When she got about 10 feet from him, she pointed her finger at him, "You know, you have got some nerve! You know that?" She kept walking and when she got to him, she pulled her hand back and slapped him in his face. Lucas stumbled slightly. She apparently got stronger in those 6 years too.

She didn't give him anytime to reply, "I'm sorry? It's for your own good?" She mocked him. "It's for your own good? What the hell kind of response is that?" She was fuming. Lucas took a step back. "I'll tell you, you said the exact fucking thing to me six years ago before you left!" She paused to wipe away the tears that made their way down her face. "You do remember that don't you? The day you lied to me. The day you ran away from your problems, and the day you said you weren't coming back!"

Flashback- About 6 Years Ago…

"Come on." He told her gently, and buttoned his shirt back up. "I'll make us some dinner."

Lucas led Peyton out into the kitchen to get dinner started. "Is my mom working late again?" Lucas asked, as he was looked for a pot to cook the spaghetti noodles in.

"Yeah." She cleared her throat as she went to the cupboard and pulled out a pot he could use. He smiled as best as he could and took the pot from her. "She told me to tell you not to wait up." His mom had been working long hours since she found out about the baby. It turned out Keith had some debts he had to pay off before he died; his mother was left with them and a baby to pay for.

Lucas tried to help as much as he could, but it wasn't enough. That's when Daunte found him. He gave Lucas ten grand to pay off Keith's debt. Lucas still had the money; he was going to wait to cash it in tomorrow, and do whatever Daunte told him to do. He just didn't want to give the money back. Not now that he had it anyway.

He sighed, "Great" he murmured sarcastically, poring the noodles in. Karen was always so tired when she got home from work, and he knows the stress isn't good for the baby.

"Lucas." Peyton said to get his attention. Lucas turned from the stove and watched at her make her way towards him. She got to him and fixed his collar that was askew. "What really happened to you?" She figured it was time to get it strait.

"Nothing you need to worry about." He deadpanned a he turned to get sauce from the cupboard and pour it into a pan. She paused his movements as she pulled him back in front of her.

"Apparently it is, otherwise you wouldn't be lying about it." She caught him right there. He knew she caught him. He was about to say something when he glanced at the clock. 9:45.

"Shit." he murmured under his breath. "Peyt, do you think you can finish this up? I forgot I need to meet someone." He interrupted her when she was about to protest. "Please? I'll tell you everything when I get home. Okay?" She bowed her head and nodded. He then lifted her head up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He smiled down at her but she didn't return it. He brought her into a hug and whispered, "I'm okay. I promise." He felt her nod into his shoulder. Lucas gave her one more kiss on the top of her head and walked out the door.

--

Lucas got to the apartment complex two minutes late, but he breathed a sigh of relief when no one was there. He decided to sit down on the side steps down in the alley. He only waited another five more minutes before a car came down the alley. Dauntes car. He saw two figures get out. One came forward the other went back towards the trunk.

"Well, well. Mr. Scott. It's good to see we didn't have to drag you down here." Daunte snickered. "Sorry we're late. We ran into trouble with one of our clients." Just as he said that, Bear comes up from behind with a man handcuffed behind his back, a blindfold put on and a gag in his mouth. Lucas stood with a confused look on his face. Daunte looked back toward the man as he lit a cigarette. "Yep, he sure gave us a good run. But we got him."

Another car pulled up the other side of the alley blocking both exits. This car kept its headlights on though. Only one man came out. He was about the same height as Lucas, maybe a bit taller, but a lot more muscular. He looked about the same age too. He wore a black jacket, with a gray hoodie under it. His jeans were torn at the knee, and his black boots were covered in mud. His face held a little scruff, and his hair was jet black. You couldn't tell the color of his eyes until he took off his sunglasses; light blue eyes.

"Wow. Did Jack Travis actually show up? My eyes must be deceiving me…"Daunte taunted.

Jack ignored that comment. "Sorry I'm late. Traffic was a mess."

"Well. I think its time for introductions don't you?" Daunte said as he clapped his hands together. "Lucas Scott, I'd like you to meet Jack Travis. My 'Hired Gun'. Or as I like to call him, my 'Iceman'." He finished with a laugh. "Jack, I'd like you to meet your partner, Lucas Scott."

Lucas figured out what this was, but he wanted to make sure. "What? Partner for what?"

Daunte took a step forward, "Oh, Lucas, I though you were smarter than that. He's my hit man. Well, sort of. He does my dirty work." Lucas looked to Bear for a second. Daunte saw this. "My other dirty work." The guy in the corner started to get restless. "So Lucas, ready for your first job?"

Lucas took a tentive step forward. "It depends. What is it?" Daunte smiled, pulled a knife out of his pocket and threw it at Lucas. He caught it, and Daunte pointed to the blindfolded man. Lucas got what he was trying to say. "No. No, I'm not going to do it."

Daunte laughed stepped up to Lucas and punched him square in the jaw. This sent Lucas back and into the brick wall. "It's your life or his? What's it gonna be?" Again he slammed the knife into Lucas' hands. Before Lucas could do anything, Daunte was suddenly pushed away and the knife was taken out of Lucas' hands.

Jack took the knife out of the pouch and stabbed the man in the leg. This caused the man to start screaming, so Jack punched him once in the head. The screaming stopped. Jack pulled the knife out of the leg, brushed the blade off with his pants, stuck it back in its case and threw it back to Daunte.

Daunte stood there stunned. "Wow. Bravo." He said once again clapping his hands. "See Lucas, you'll be able to do that eventually." He looked over at Jack. "But Lucas should have done that. Besides, I wanted him dead."

"We both know he wouldn't be able to do that. Besides, if I have a partner, I want him alive." Jack smiled at Daunte, "You didn't say to kill him. You want him dead, do it yourself." Jack paused and glanced over at Lucas. "Go get in the car." He turned his gaze back to Daunte. "And you better get out of here before the cops actually decide to care about what your doing." Daunte smiled and handed him an envelope.

Lucas got to the car and got in. He could see the exchange and watched as Daunte and Bear walked back to the car, get in and drive off.

Jack came back to the car and opened the driver's side door. "Hey, I need your help. Come here." He said as he got out a t-shirt and a bottle of alcohol from the back and went back the unconscious man. Lucas got out quickly and followed. He watched as Jack ripped open the pant leg down by the shin, and poor alcohol on the wound. He then poured it on the t-shirt and wrapped his leg in it. He got up, "Grab the feet." He told Luke, and he grabbed on the shoulders.

Lucas did as instructed as they carried the man to the truck, where Jack opened the back door and they put him in. They both got back in the car. Jack started the car and sped out of the alley.

They were driving in silence for the first 10 minutes or so when Lucas broke the silence. He cleared his throat, "Where are we going?"

"We're going to drop this guy off at his house, and then I'm taking you home." Jack said without looking at him. He sighed, "I figured you wanted to say goodbye to your family before we leave."

Lucas started to panic. "Leave? Why do I have to leave?"

Jack finally looked at him as he pulled up to a stoplight. It was about 11:30, so no other cars were around. "We leave for a job tonight. Then after that, you can't come back until you finish your job, or until you pay off your debt. It's not a good idea to be around your family when doing this. Where you are, Daunte is. And you don't want him near your family."

"Why?"

"If you do something wrong, he'll either kill you, or kill one of them. In my personal opinion, you want to be as far away from them as possible. So if you do something wrong, you can try to get back to your family before he gets there. Maybe you can save them." He paused briefly and looked back at the road when the light turned green. "But it's easier to just do as your told."

"Why didn't you kill him? I mean that's what Daunte wanted. Wasn't it?" Lucas pointed to the guy in the back seat.

"Did you want me to kill him?" Jack paused and chuckled. "I like to end my nights with no one dead. To answer your other question, yes, Daunte wanted him dead. But I've never killed someone, and I don't want to start tonight." Lucas looked rather shocked. "I'm not a monster. Just a stupid kid who got involved with the wrong people. Just like you."

Lucas knew he was right, about him being stupid, but tried to ignore it. "When did you get involved with Daunte?" Since he was going to be stuck with this guy, he figured he might want to get to know him.

"Three years ago. I was 18, your age. I had a wife that had no parents or siblings and wanted to go to college. I needed the money, and Daunte answered." Jack answered simply. They spent the rest of the drive in silence until he pulled up to Lucas' house.

"I thought-"

"I know what you thought." He paused, "Lesson one: don't do what you say your going to do, especially to Daunte. He's always one step ahead of you. Remember that. Now go say goodbye to your family. Pack a small backpack only of the stuff you need. And do not tell them what's going on. The less they know, the better. Ok?" Lucas nodded, got out and closed the door.

--

Lucas entered the house quietly. The kitchen light was on and noticed Peyton was sitting at the table. "Nice of you to come home." She glanced at the clock. "At 12 o'clock." She finished shortly.

"Yeah." Lucas whispered. "Is my mom home?"

"Yeah she is. She came right home and went to bed. She'll be out for a while."

"Ok." Lucas sighed and walked right into his bedroom. This wasn't going to be easy, but he needed to do it fast.

He started to pack his backpack. He put his toothbrush, his comb and a couple of t-shirts and jeans into the bag. Somewhere along the way Peyton came into the room. "What are you doing?" She asked, with a bit of panic in her voice.

"Leaving." He told her simply. He grabbed an envelope on his desk and went towards his mom's room. He walked in quietly and set the envelope down with a little note attached to it. When he came out, he almost ran into Peyton.

"What do you mean your leaving?" She just about shouted. Lucas shushed her and shut his mom's door. And walked back into his room, as Peyton followed and shut his door.

"I mean I'm leaving." Lucas sighed, as he made sure there was nothing else to pack.

"That just doesn't make sense, Lucas. Why? When are you coming back? Does this have anything to do with the bruises all over your face-" She was going to ask more but Lucas interrupted her when he engulfed her into a hug.

"I'm leaving because I have to, I don't know when I'm coming back, and yes." He paused, pulled her back from his embrace and noticed tears starting to fall from her eyes. He began to wipe them away, but she just smacked away his hands.

"No! No! You just can't do this. You just can't leave! Why can't you just let me in and tell me what's wrong?! We…we're supposed to be able to do that! We're best friends! If you tell me what's wrong, we can fix it! Can't we?" She pleaded. She was confused, angry, and heartbroken. Lucas could see it in her eyes, and that just about killed him.

Lucas took another step closer and shook his head no. Lucas brought her into one more hug and whispered; "I love you." He began to feel tears start to fall from his eyes, so he pulled back, and kissed her cheek. He wiped away her remaining tears, and sadly smiled. He went to pick up his backpack, put on his leather jacket, and made his way to the door, but last minute grabbed a picture of him and her that was on his bulletin board and put it into in jacket pocket.

"Lucas…" He turned back around to see more tears make their way down her face. "We can still fix this."

He shook his head. "No, we can't." He slowly made his way outside down the walkway.

"Lucas…" He heard her call once he closed the gate.

"I'm sorry…It's for your own good." He walked towards the truck, not taking one look at the blond still on his porch. He threw his bag into the back trunk, and got into the car.

Peyton watched the car drive off as she whispered, "I love you too."

"Peyt..." He began desperately.

"No! You don't get call me that. Only my friends can call me that."

"I never said I wasn't coming back I said-" He set down his backpack and took a step closer, she didn't back away, so that gave Lucas the hint she was starting to calm down.

"Oh I remember what you said, but after six years, you start to get the hint their not coming back." She put her hand over her mouth to choke back a sob. "Your mom needed you Lucas. Do you know what it was like to tell her that her son left in the middle of the night? Do you know how heartbroken she was?" Lucas was about to interrupt, but Peyton was on a roll. "Haley needed you, Lucas. I needed you." She paused to collect herself. Lucas looked down defeated. This was not how he expected his night to go. She seemed as if she was done speaking for the time being, so Lucas decided it was his turn.

"Look, Peyton. I get your mad, confused, and hurt…I get it…I do. And I wish that I could take it back. I wish I could take it all back." He glanced back up and began walking toward Peyton, slowly. Keeping his eyes on hers. "But I can't." He was merely inches in front of her when he grabbed her shoulders gently. She didn't pull away and he let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so sorry Peyton. I…I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to hurt anyone."

Lucas stepped a little closer, and pulled Peyton into a hug. He doesn't know why he does it, but he knows both of them need the comfort. "God….Peyt. I'm so sorry." Tears start to make their way down his face and she knows it. Her mind is telling her to let go and tell him sorry isn't god enough. But she can't. She hates to admit it, but it feels good to be back in his arms.

They don't know how long they stand there, but they don't care. It's only when Lucas pulls back he hears her whisper, "I missed you."

He smiles down at her sadly. "I missed you too." He's leaning on his bad leg, which causes it to bleed more. Peyton notices his discomfort and his pale complexion. She looks down at his leg and gasps.

"Luke-"

"It's okay. I just need to stitch it up." He smirked at her concern.

"No, I'm taking you to the hospital." She starts to head towards her car, but he grabs her hand and pulls her back around.

"No!" He says quickly. He clears his throat, "No hospitals. Please." Peyton's notes his discomfort, and nods.

"Okay, where are you staying?"

"Wherever I decide to stop for the night…" He says bluntly. Peyton sighs.

"You're staying with me and Brooke." She saw that he was about to protest. "I won't take no for an answer." She says sternly grabbing his hand leading him towards her car. "Come on."

Lucas nods his head, and follows her to her car.

A/N: Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I should be studying for finals I have tomorrow but lets face it, writing is so much better than studying. And I like to thank you for the reviews! They're awesome! I hope it was worth the wait. I really don't like the ending, but w/e.

--------What do you think of Jack? Good? Bad? Too soon to tell? I like to hear your thoughts…Please REVIEW! I love reading your insights!